1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to golf practice devices and more particularly to driving range platforms and mechanisms for providing a ball on a tee without requiring a change of stance.
2. Description of the related art.
Golf practice stations at golf courses and driving ranges typically will try to provide some sort of surface on which the golfer may stand and address the ball. On some of those devices, the golfer must manually place a ball on a tee while others supply a mechanism for putting balls on the tees.
U.S. Pat No. 4,331,332 to Hughes which issued May 25, 1982 is illustrative of prior golf practice stations. That platform is basically formed of wood and provides two mats 14 and 16. One mat supports a golfer and the other supports a tee. The tee is simply placed in to the mesh where desired.
Other driving ranges will simply fabricate elevated wooden platforms to keep the golfer out of the mud and dirt. Some platforms will also include a means for providing a golf ball to the golfer. U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,641 to Peyret, Jr. includes an apparatus which conveys a succession of golf balls in a linear path first in the address position. The linear path is provided by an elongated slot in a simulated golfing surface and an endless conveyor belt carries the balls along the path in a uniform rate of speed. The golfer must time his position.
None of the prior platforms known to the inventors are entirely suitable to the consuming public. The existing wooden platforms are typically built on site by 2.times.4's and nails. Mechanisms which currently supply golfer on a tee for the golfer either require the golfer to time their swing so as to hit the ball or require the golfer to change his stance so that another ball can be placed on top of a tee. The change of stance, of course, is undesirable since while practicing the golfer is attempting to vary only one variable at a time so that they may learn the effect of each golfing parameter which must be controlled.